Preserve clean air and clean water

To do our part for the environment, Xerox is working over the long-term to eliminate the use of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic materials throughout the supply chain. We apply strict internal standards in clean manufacturing and have reengineered or substituted processes to dramatically reduce the use of toxics and heavy metals. Our products are safe to use and can be disposed of responsibly to preserve our clean air and clean water.

Our suppliers must meet Xerox's strict standards to control the chemical content of our products. Xerox is a member of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) which has developed a standards-based approach for monitoring suppliers' compliance across several areas of social responsibility, including labour, health, safety and environmental activity.

Learn more about how we are working to eliminate toxic materials from our supply chain on the Governing Chemical Use page.

Controlling chemical and water use in Xerox operations and through product design

We design our products to strictly control emissions of chemicals and noise during equipment use. Our current products have chemical emission levels that are well below global regulatory requirements. Learn more about the safety of Xerox products (PDF, 115 KB).

Water consumed by Xerox operations are sourced from local municipal suppliers who withdraw water from lakes, rivers and other surface waters. All water quality is tested as required to maintain compliance at each site. The water discharges at manufacturing sites are monitored to validate compliance with local sanitary sewer discharge limits. Water is discharged to municipal water treatment facilities.

In 2015 a pilot program will be initiated to evaluate a technology designed to use Reverse Osmosis reject water for a secondary purpose. The water will be utilised as supply to cooling towers at the site. Currently this water is sent to the sanitary sewer and ultimately to the Publically Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Projections indicate water savings of five (5) percent of purchased water per year. If pilot is successful, the technology will be evaluated for possible replication at other locations within Xerox.